WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an $83.3 million civil judgment awarded to writer E. Jean Carroll, bringing a long-running legal dispute over presidential immunity to the nation’s highest court.
The case, Donald J. Trump v. E. Jean Carroll, No. 26-141, was docketed by the Supreme Court on July 30, 2026. Trump filed his petition for a writ of certiorari on July 28, asking the justices to review a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
How the $83.3 million judgment arose
Carroll sued Trump over statements he made in 2019 after she publicly accused him of sexually assaulting her years earlier. Trump denied the allegation and attacked Carroll’s credibility.
The resulting case focused specifically on whether Trump’s statements about Carroll were defamatory. A federal jury in January 2024 awarded Carroll $83.3 million.
The award consisted of $11 million for a reputation-repair program, $7.3 million in other compensatory damages and $65 million in punitive damages. Evidence presented to the jury included testimony about the impact of Trump’s statements on Carroll’s reputation, employment and personal safety.
Trump’s presidential-immunity argument
A central issue in Trump’s Supreme Court petition is whether he can be held personally liable for statements he made while serving as president.
Trump has argued that presidential immunity should shield him from the judgment. His legal challenge comes after the Second Circuit rejected his attempt to revive an immunity defense and upheld the $83.3 million award. The appeals court also rejected an effort to substitute the United States as the defendant under the Westfall Act.
The case therefore raises a question extending beyond the money awarded to Carroll: How far does presidential immunity extend when a president makes allegedly defamatory statements while in office?
The federal government is also involved
A separate Supreme Court case, United States v. E. Jean Carroll, No. 26-142, was also docketed on July 30. The United States filed its own petition concerning the Second Circuit proceedings. The Supreme Court’s docket shows that the government’s response deadline, like Carroll’s in Trump’s case, has been extended to October 30, 2026.
The government’s involvement adds another constitutional dimension to the dispute because the litigation concerns whether conduct by a president can be treated as official government conduct for purposes of civil liability.
The $83.3 million case is different from the $5 million case
The Carroll litigation is sometimes confusing because there are two separate judgments.
In the other case, Carroll accused Trump of sexually abusing her and defaming her in statements he made in 2022. A jury awarded her $5 million. Trump separately appealed that judgment to the Supreme Court.
On August 17, 2026, the Supreme Court declined to reconsider its earlier decision not to hear Trump’s appeal of the $5 million verdict.
That Supreme Court action did not decide the separate $83.3 million case. Trump’s petition concerning the larger judgment remains pending under docket No. 26-141.
What happens next
The Supreme Court has not yet agreed to hear Trump’s challenge to the $83.3 million judgment. Carroll’s response to Trump’s petition is now due October 30, 2026. After the briefing process, the justices will decide whether to grant review.
If the Court takes the case, the justices could address significant questions about presidential immunity, official presidential conduct and the ability of private individuals to obtain civil judgments based on statements made by a president.
For now, however, there has been no Supreme Court ruling overturning the $83.3 million award. The judgment remains the subject of Trump’s pending appeal.
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By B. Wilder, Staff Reporter contributed to this report.
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